


Never Too Late

by Kymiex



Category: Be More Chill
Genre: M/M, Pining Michael, a little bit, it isn't too bad, sorta angsty?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 10:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11780943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymiex/pseuds/Kymiex
Summary: Ten years after the Squip incident, Michael hasn't seen or heard from Jeremy in years. Then he gets a phone call, and.. Well, it's never too late to turn your life around, right?





	Never Too Late

I lied to myself and said that I'd moved on. After everything that happened in our junior year, I guess things never really went back to how they were. I didn't see Jeremy after graduation. Not a word. Not even a Facebook message. Then, about a week ago? I got a phone call. I didn't recognize the number, but the moment I heard his voice, it was like being back in high school. 

He didn't sound like he had changed much, to be honest. His voice was still the same, stammering and nervous like always, and he asked me if I remembered him. 

I couldn't help myself- I laughed at him. 

"Of course I remember you, Jeremy. You were my best friend for fourteen years."

He gave a soft little sigh, and I wished I could see him through the phone. Had he changed physically? Was he still the skinny guy who hadn't quite gotten used to his legs being so long? Or had he grown into himself, finally, in the time since I'd seen him last?

He said he'd recently moved back home. After graduation, he'd been so eager to get away from New Jersey, to get away from the bad memories and guilt that plagued him that he'd run away. Took the first train he could afford and just.. Walked out of everyone's lives. 

"I wanna s- Um, I-I, wh- Uh. If- If you're.. Not busy. Um. D-Do you- Are you-"

"It's just me, Jeremy. Just say it."

"C-coffee? Just the two of us?"

Part of me wanted to throw the phone down and pretend he'd never called, but.. I'd missed him. God, I'd missed him. So I said yes. Of course. 

So now I'm standing in front of a coffeeshop in Brooklyn. I was living about twenty blocks away, and it was a place I knew well; They had open mic night every Friday, and I played here from time to time. It had a good atmosphere, and there was always something special about being in a dimly lit space with just an acoustic guitar and a bunch of people.

I hope I haven't changed too much for him to recognize me. Of course, then I see myself in the reflection of the big glass windows and realize, honestly? I haven't changed that much. Sure, I don't wear my glasses as much, and I have a lot more tattoos than I did in high school. I even slimmed up a bit, but. Maybe it was my subconscious that did it, but I realize I'm wearing white headphones and a red jacket and I just laugh at myself. 

As I shove a hand through my hair and push it back, I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder, and turn to see-

Jeremy. 

He hasn't changed all that much. He still looks just as nervous and awkward as he did in high school, but.. God. He's just as handsome as I remember him. Moreso, maybe. He has a bit of stubble growing, and his hair's different, but he has the same beautiful eyes and the same shaky smile that I remember. 

"H-hi, Michael."

Hearing his voice say my name is like coming home, and I guess I didn't realize how homesick I was until he was standing right in front of me. We're both frozen in place, just staring at each other for what feels like forever, and he's the one to finally break the spell. 

"You look- You look amazing." He chuckles, dipping his head in embarrassment. "I.. I was almost afraid you weren't gonna come. Not that I'd blame you or anything, after what I did."

He won't look at me anymore, as he speaks, and he doesn't give me a chance to reply before he's turning away. He glances around, spying an open table and making his way over to it, so we can sit down and talk. 

"I forgave you a long time ago, Jeremy. You know that, right?"

He's just getting seated, and he freezes, looking up at me. He's silent as I sit across from him, and he smiles. He suddenly looks so tired. 

"My Squip says you're lying."

My heart freezes, and I'm glad I'm not holding anything, because it would've hit the floor. 

"You still- It's still there?"

His gaze shifts to a spot beside me, and a rush of anger flows through me. I know that look- The Squip was talking to him, feeding him likes that no one else could hear, and he was listening. 

"Don't listen to it, Jeremy, Jesus Christ!" I slam my hand onto the table, and his eyes lock onto me as he jumps. 

"S-sorry! I just- It's hard to ignore, some days. I'm sorry."

I shake my head, standing up and reaching across the table to grab his wrist. "C'mon. We're going to find a convenience store and getting you some Mountain Dew Red."

It isn't until I pull him out of his chair that I see the dark colors on his skin, and my heart aches as I realize what it is. On his forearm, in the same place mine is, there's a tattoo. The one he always talked about getting, someday, when he was happier with himself. 

Three pellets, and a ghost from Pac-Man; the blue, vulnerable one. The match to mine. 

He'd.. Remembered. He'd actually gotten it, after all these years. I look up, and there's tears welling up in his eyes. 

"Michael, I.. There's so much I have to tell you. I'm so sorry, for so much, and- God, Michael, I missed you so much. You're the reason I came back, I-I-I needed to see you again, and I know I don't deserve it, but-" 

"Jeremy, stop. It's okay. It's all good." 

I smile, and for a moment he looks like he might be sick. His eyes flick to the side, and I know his Squip must be speaking to him, but his gaze flicks back to me, and he squeezes my hand. 

"S-so, um. You know a convenience store around here that sells Mountain Dew Red?"

I grin at him and pull him out of the coffeeshop. What he thinks he has to apologise for, it doesn't matter. None of it does. No matter what he thinks he did wrong, no matter what his Squip says. None of it matters. What matters is that I have my player two back, and this time? 

This time nothing's gonna tear us apart.


End file.
